Alabaster jar...

Golly, I’ve been learning a lot lately.

Just so much.

And it’s not all that pretty.

God and I went on a little date last week. A morning in the Starved Rock lodge with our favorite Book and a cozy sweatshirt.

That’s sort of where the cozy stopped, though—at the sweatshirt.

I got into the Word and I got into journaling, talking with the Lord. And things got rocky.

Rock in a good way—if I can say that—because the Holy Spirit started poking at me some, showing me some sin in my life—thing I’m holding on to, really.

I have a death grip on some things, to be honest. The white-knuckled variety.

Whoops.

So God led me to the Scripture about the woman at Bethany who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. She broke this alabaster jar—filled with something so precious—at this feet. And it was worth it. She understood that nothing in that jar could be so precious as worshipping and honoring the Savior by giving it all over to him.

So I took an inventory of all that I’m holding on to in my own jar, all that I’m not trusting God with. And, at the risk of toppling the (undue) missionary pedestal, I’ll say it wasn’t a short list. It was shamefully long. And I took that jar and stared at it. Gave it and its “precious” contents a good, long look.  

Then I looked at my Savior.

And I’m not sure if you’ve ever done that before—looked intently at all the worldly, temporary things you hold dear, then gazed into the eyes, the character of the One who died for you, so you could have everything, for eternity—but it’s just not a good idea if you’re wanting to hold on to that jar.

It is a great idea, however, if you want to smash that thing for his glory, or pour it out all over his feet. And so that’s what I’m working on doing.